Greek Panzanella Salad

This Greek Panzanella Salad is a delicious all-in-one meal. Filled with fresh summer veggies, protein, and bursting with Mediterranean flavors, this is one recipe you must make!

This Greek Panzella Salad comes from my friend Stacie Billis of OneHungryMama, who is also one of my favorite YouTubers!

If you don’t know Stacie, definitely check her out. You’ll find quick tips and easy family recipes along with her new cookbook called, Make it Easy with 120 Mix and Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch. Let me tell you, it’s one of those smart books that gives you store-bought shortcuts just when you need them. And today’s recipe is from her cookbook.

A simple dressing, fresh garden tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, a little feta… wow. These are the type of Mediterranean flavors I grew up with in Spain and one of the many reasons I love to make this Greek Panzanella Salad. Plus, it’s easy to make and is beautiful on the dinner table.

The taste of cucumbers and tomatoes together brings back many childhood memories in my grandmother’s kitchen. We ate a tomato-cucumber salad nearly every day during the summer. For this recipe, I got to use some fresh vegetables from my mom’s garden, since that’s where we take photos and shoot videos like this one.

Cooking for our families can be a lot easier than it seems when you take some of our shortcuts, ditch the mom-guilt, and start thinking “happy thoughts” when the food gets to the table. In our podcast together, we talk about how to simplify cooking for our families and what it’s really like at our house.

I also interviewed Stacy in one of my recent podcasts (available on iTunes) and we chatted about feeding our families as friends typically do.

So back to this salad. You can grill chicken right then and there or use up leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken. Don’t have any? Need to make this vegetarian? Omit it. It’s that simple.

Since there is no lettuce in this salad, you can mix it all together without the toasted bread, and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Don’t have time to toast bread? Use store-bought croutons, just enjoy the delicious tomato-cucumber combo.

Don’t forget to check out Stacie’s youtube channel for more recipes from her new book and my Salmon Baked in Foil from my new book, The Best Grain-Free Family Meals on the Planet.

What meals and flavors remind you of your childhood?

Greek Panzanella Salad

• Author: Laura Fuentes

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3 tabelspoons olive oil
• 4 cups cubed French or Italian bread, but into 1” pieces (from about ½ large loaf, though this will vary greatly depending on exact size)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pound chicken tenders or breast cut into strips
• 4 medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges
• 2 cups sliced cucumber (from about 1 large English cucumber)
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion (from about ½ small onion)
• 4 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (see Make it Easier)
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ to ¾ cup Everyday Vinaigrette

Instructions

1. Toast the bread: heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the bread in a single layer and sprinkle with the 1/8 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Toast until dark golden brown all around, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes or so. Transfer the toasted bread to a plate and set aside.
2. Cook chicken: carefully wipe out the hot pan and return to stove, this time over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and garlic. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and, once the oil and garlic are fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds, add chicken and cook, untouched, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side browns and the chicken is cooked through, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to cool to the touch before cutting into bite sized pieces.
3. In the meantime, place the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil in a large serving bowl.
4. Add the chopped chicken and cubed bread to the bowl as well and toss with dressing. Add the feta cheese and slightly toss one more time. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or leave at room temperature and sever within the hour.

Greek Panzanella Salad

This easy to make vinaigrette goes great for your everyday salads.

• Yield: 1 cup 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients inside a mason jar and shake to combine. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.